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possibly obliterating all of Chechnya. Russia’s former atomic energy chief Viktor Mikhailov thinks that Chechnya would be entirely destroyed if Chechen separatists try to detonate a dirty bomb. 26 Fortunately, there is no credible public information that Chechnya-based radical separatists presently possess either a nuclear bomb or the expertise to assemble one. This does not mean, however, that they and their allies in Islamist terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and in regimes similar to the Taliban will not be able to acquire nuclear weaponry expertise in the future. 27 In 2000, it was reported that the Taliban sought to recruit a Russian nuclear expert. 28 Al-Qaeda has tried to acquire a ready-to-use nuclear bomb or to develop one, and has considered striking a deal with 26 “If Chechen rebels try to seize a nuclear power station or decide to disperse radioactive materials to contaminate air and war, this would be equivalent to declaring a nuclear war against Russia…. The response will be very tough for Chechens,” Russia’s former atomic chief Viktor Mikhailov was quoted as saying in the December 4, 2002 issue of Izvestia. “The rebels must realize that their entire people will bear responsibility for their actions. Chechens engage into nuclear blackmail, there will be no Chechnya left on the Earth.” Alexander Khokhlov, “Viktor Mikhailov, Byvshii Ministr Po Atomnoi Energii: Esli Chechentsy Zaimutsya Yadernym Shantazhom, Chechni Na Zemle Ne Ostanetsya” [Viktor Mikhailov, former atomic energy minister: if Chechens engage in nuclear blackmail, there will be no Chechnya left on the earth], Izvestia, December 4, 2002. 27 George Tenet, Director of the Central Intelligence, stressed in a February 6, 2002 testimony before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that terrorist groups worldwide have ready access to information on chemical, biological, and even nuclear weapons via the Internet, and that “we know that al-Qaeda was working to acquire some of the most dangerous chemical agents and toxins.” According to Tenet, documents recovered from al-Qaeda facilities in Afghanistan showed that Bin Laden was pursuing a sophisticated biological weapons research program and that the US believed that Bin Laden was seeking to acquire or develop a nuclear device. Moreover, he added, “al-Qaeda may be pursuing a radioactive dispersal device - what some call a ‘dirty bomb.’” Quoted in Karl A. Lamers, “Draft Report on Arms Control And The Transatlantic Partnership After September 11,” Political Sub-Committee On Transatlantic Relations, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, May 3, 2002, available at http://www.nato- pa.int/publications/comrep/2002/av-112-e.html as of July 4, 2002. 28 On October 6, 2000, at a conference on nuclear non-proliferation in Moscow, Russian Security Council official Raisa Vdovichenko reported that Taliban envoys had sought to recruit at least one Russian nuclear expert. While the recruiting target did not agree to work for the Taliban, three of his colleagues had left his institute for foreign countries and Russian officials did not know where they had gone. RFE/RL, October 9, 2000. 11
members of Russian organized criminal groups. 29 Chechnya-based terrorists can also hope that al- Qaeda, which maintains ties with the Islamist strain of radical separatists in the North Caucasus and has had Chechen members, will supply them with nuclear weapons for a jihad against Russian infidels if it manages, for instance, to topple the government of Pakistan. 30 Therefore, Russian authorities must do everything in their capacity to fill all holes in the country’s nuclear security fences before terrorists acquire the capability to build a nuclear bomb. Otherwise, given the existing 29 “We also believe that [al-Qaeda leader Osama] bin Laden was seeking to acquire or develop a nuclear device,” George Tenet, Director of the Central Intelligence, told hearings at the U.S. Congress in February 2002. In his testimony, Tenet refrained from disclosing where al-Qaeda operatives could be shopping for such technology. “Worldwide Threat - Converging Dangers in a Post 9/11 World,” testimony of Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, February 6, 2002. Al-Qaeda may be trying to acquire nuclear weapons and weapons-grade materials in Russia through local organized crime gangs, Washington Times reported, citing a source in the U.S. defense community. Bill Herz, “U.S. says al-Qaeda exploring Russian market for weapons,” The Washington Times, October 8, 2002. 30 There have been numerous reports about links between Chechen separatists and al-Qaeda. Some noteworthy examples include: (1) U.S. charge d’affaires in Tbilisi Philip Remler suggested in February 2002 that the Chechen contingent in Georgia’s Pankisi gorge could include individuals with ties to al-Qaeda, “Georgian Defense Minister Doubts Al-Qaeda In Pankisi,” RFE/RL, May 10, 2002, available at http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2002/05/2- TCA/tca-100502.asp as of July 14, 2002. (2) U.S. intelligence agencies have estimated that as many as 100 al-Qaeda militants joined hundreds of Chechen fighters who set up base in Georgia’s troubled Pankisi gorge. Peter Baker, “Arab Militants Turned Over to U.S. by Georgian Forces,” The Washington Post, October 21, 2002. (3) The FBI also believes there are ties between Chechen separatists and al-Qaeda. “Although al-Qaeda functions independently of other terrorist organizations, it also functions through some of the terrorist organizations that operate under its umbrella or with its support, including: the Al-Jihad… and the Chechen region of Russia.” J. T. Caruso, Acting Assistant Director, Counter Terrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Statement for the Record on Al-Qaeda International Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, Washington, D.C., December 18, 2001, available at http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress01/caruso121801.htm as of July 14, 2002. (4) There have been reports of Chechens fighting on the al-Qaeda side in Afghanistan. Two Chechen members of al-Qaeda were killed in a gun-battle with Pakistani troops in Azam Warsak, a remote tribal area of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on June 26, 2002, unidentified Pakistani officials said. The same area saw Pakistani security officials capture a Chechen, identified as Muhammad Yahya, also in June, the officials said. M. Ismail Khan, “10 Soldiers, Two Fugitives Killed: Al-Qaeda Hideout In Tribal Area Raided,” Dawn, June 27, 2002. 12
Page 1 and 2: Russia: Grasping Reality of Nuclear
Page 3 and 4: CO-SPONSORS The cosponsors of this
Page 5 and 6: military campaign in Chechnya at a
Page 7 and 8: house NBC materials and components
Page 9 and 10: attention toward securing the civil
Page 11 and 12: Ensuring that all of Russia’s nuc
Page 13: If it accepts this funding, the Rus
Page 17 and 18: salafites who seek to establish an
Page 19 and 20: More recently, however, Maskhadov h
Page 21 and 22: of the so-called Congress of the Pe
Page 23 and 24: even if he specifically orders all
Page 25 and 26: idea of Chechen independence, becau
Page 27 and 28: Sources in the Russian Ministry of
Page 29 and 30: Now that a conventional terrorist a
Page 31 and 32: years after Khasukhanov’s plan wa
Page 33 and 34: an independent Islamist state in th
Page 35 and 36: Even though Chechnya-based radical
Page 37 and 38: Even careful screening might fail t
Page 39 and 40: The cult actively recruited scienti
Page 41 and 42: sufficiently robust at all of Russi
Page 43 and 44: soldier had been suffering a nervou
Page 45 and 46: servicemen from the Andreeva Guba n
Page 47 and 48: thefts of nuclear warheads have bee
Page 49 and 50: in June 2002, and were still in cus
Page 51 and 52: As far as is known, most Russian ga
Page 53 and 54: VII. Conclusion There is no credibl
Page 55 and 56: But these doubts might disappear if
Page 57 and 58: should be boosted to further improv
Page 59 and 60: 1. Amend the Criminal Code to incre
Page 61 and 62: INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAM The
Page 63: The Robert and Renée Belfer Center

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